I was watching a Youtube video where the author just took out the from weight of an RS to make room for the sound card and speaker. How detrimental is that to the pulling ability of the loco?
I’m like Tim Taylor on Home Improvement, More Power Argh, Argh.
I add weight I don’t remove it. #8 birdshot works pretty good for adding weight in tiny areas. I use CA to keep it in place.
A stock Rivarossi Cab Forward has 2.6 oz drawbar, I remoter them with can motors and add up to 10 ounces of birdshot. The drawbar goes up dramatically, several of my Rivarossi articulateds have over 6 ounces of drawbar pull.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
Weigh your loco before
Weigh your loco after
if it’s 80% of it’s original weight, then you’ll have roughly 80% of the pulling power
That said, I don’t think it’s that big a loss. Speaker magnets replace some of the weight.
My weight replacement project. Done around six or so years ago. The metal melts a the boiling point of water.
I have also used birdshot in HO tender drive DCC locos.
A HO Bachmann 70 ton with DCC on board. Removed upper weight and decoder. Weighed the weight with digital scale.
Poured two new weights. Installed both weights, LokSound Micro plus 16mm x 35 mm oval speaker.
Rich
I don’t see how adding weight is going to make room for a sound card and speaker, unless I find some depleted uranium at the show this weekend.
Rich, are those orange lego things your mold? Was this Wood’s metal? I never knew that alloys could melt far below the temps of their components. Fascinating, worth the price of starting the thread.
Lego blocks. Work very well. At one time a few LHS sold a metal that melts at the boiling point of water. I bought the metal online from McMaster-Carr Supply.
When I retired back in 2006 as a mechanic, I ordered a lot from this company and they did well with small orders like mine. Loads of all kinds of small hardware for model railroaders.
No doubt there are different ways of making weights with this type of metal. I won’t say it was cost effective but I got what I wanted.
Probably can be poured thin and folded over when set.
I know some buy thin lead sheets.
Rich
Surprisingly enough I was able to remove both front and rear weight from an old atlas yellow box RS-3 to make room for a small decoder and a botched up front and rear light install. The loco runs very well and it has no issues pulling cars up a grade. I really thought taking out the weight would hurt the loco but it didn’t.
Rich
This issue comes under the heading of, Your Mileage will vary.
Model Railroading is a lot of experimenting.
Not everything is plug and play.
Rich
Even before I started installing sound, I used to REMOVE weight from my engines ! I figured a single four axle engine should be able to pull ten cars on my ruling grade and should be just heavy enough to do so. Any more cars and it couldn’t … so a second engine would be added for up to twenty cars.
I could have left the weights in and probably pulled 30 cars with a single engine - but I didn’t want it to … for real.
Any more than twenty cars would require the crew to add a third unit or send out for a helper to assist in pushing the train over the steepest part of the layout. Just my way of “forcing” operators to pay attention to the make up of their train.
Mark.
Without traction tires, about the most pulling power you’ll get from a loco is approximately 25% of its weight, but many locos are considerably less. For steam, the weight should be balanced at the centrepoint of the drivers’ wheelbase - otherwise the equation is meaningless.
I add weight to all of my locos, but that’s one of the advantages of running DC. [swg]
Wayne
Also consider that the author wanted sound, and was willing to give up the weight (space) to acheive it. Maybe the RS is just for switching, maybe his layout is flat, and, just maybe, there are other places where the author figured he could add weight, if needed. For my switching locos, I like adding weight, as I have many turn outs to slowly crawl over, but, I do not have sound.
Mike.
The metal is a cesium alloy metal. The same kind used in water sprinklers. http://csalloys.com/
When the heat gets to high, the plug on the sprinkler melts causing the plug to be pushed out. The ensuing pipe pressure change causes the other sprinkler heads to start raining at the same time.